University contributions to co-creating sustainable tourism destinations

A debate is emerging about the evolving functions and roles of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). New functions pivot on value-adding to the social, environmental and economic sustainability of communities – or in tourism parlance – destinations. This paper extends knowledge with a case study of an Italian-based EU project, in which a local university took a prominent role in developing a city and its countryside into a sustainable gastronomy and food tourism destination, working with a variety of stakeholders. Synthesising the collaborative destination alliance and university ‘third mission’ co-creation for sustainability frameworks, the study extended across various collaborative activities, including two years beyond the life of the project. Results show the university performed numerous roles enacting the co-creation for the sustainability approach, and that these roles evolved through a communicative and outcomes-based cyclical process. Theoretically, this case study serves as a functional platform explaining the new ways in which tourism academic sector performance is reviewed and evaluated. Practically, this case informs sustainable academic and community collaborations in tourism destinations.